THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 171 



AN ORNITHOLOGISTS' REUNION. 



Following the custom of former years, about twenty of the 

 leading Victorian ornithologists and oologists dined at Miss 

 Kissock's Cafe, Collins-street, on Wednesday evening, 7th No- 

 vember, 1900, when Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., M.B.O.U., 

 Assistant Director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, was 

 the guest of the evening. Dr. Chas. Ryan, Consul for Turkey, 

 occupied the chair, and after the good things provided had been 

 disposed of, the Rev. W. Fielder, in a happy speech, proposed 

 the health of Mr.. Le Souef, and wished him every success, both 

 in private life and in his natural history pursuits, which was cor- 

 dially endorsed by the company. Mr. A. J. Campbell, who had 

 acted as secretary for the gathering, read a number of apologies 

 from residents of other colonies, wishing the reunion every 

 success. The chairman then handed to Mr. Le Souef a memento 

 of the evening in the shape of an illustrated booklet containing 

 the autographs of those present. Mr. A. J. Campbell mentioned 

 that it had been considered by a number of bird-lovers that the 

 time was ripe for founding an Australian Ornithologists' Union, 

 and proceeded to give some particulars of the history of the 

 American Ornithologists' Union, whose organ, the Auk, is a well- 

 known authority on bird lore, and he hoped that an Australian 

 journal, which perhaps might be called the Emu, would be 

 established in due course. In the meantime it might be possible 

 to arrange for a quarterly supplement in the Victorian Naturalist. 

 Several gentlemen spoke on the question, however, without any 

 pronounced expression in favour of the proposed society. Mr. 

 J. W. Mellor, hon. secretary of the South Australian Ornithological 

 Association, gave some account of the foundation and method of 

 working of his society, and said that it would be glad to welcome 

 any union of bird men. The chairman thought that, before 

 taking any definite action, a small committee might be appointed 

 to draw up a basis of constitution, &c, and moved that Messrs. 

 A. J. Campbell, J. Gabriel, R. Hall, G. A. Keartland, D. Le 

 Souef, and himself be requested to act as a sub-committee and 

 report to a future meeting. Mr. D. Le Souef, in seconding the 

 proposal, gave an outline of the objects and rules of the British 

 Ornithologists' Union, of which he believed he was the only 

 Australian member. 



An adjournment was then made for the purpose of inspecting 

 several very interesting exhibits brought by the visitors, and 

 afterwards Mr. Le Souef entertained the company with some 

 lantern slides of scenes of bird life recently obtained by him 

 during a trip to Riverina, thus concluding a very enjoyable 

 evening. 



